The present invention relates to a sports swing training apparatus. More specifically, the present invention relates to a training device that assists a user in attaining the proper alignment of a piece of sports equipment with an object to be struck during a user""s swing.
In prior attempts such as that set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 5,374,063, the disclosure of which is specifically incorporated herein by reference, a training golf club is disclosed. The device uses discreet components in conjunction with infrared sensors, among other things, to provide a user with feedback in the form of LED indicators to promote the proper club face alignment. This is accomplished by reflecting infrared beams off of a golf ball back to sensors.
There are several drawbacks associated with the design disclosed. First, after the ball is struck, the target golf ball quickly speeds away. This results in the LED indicators turning off since the golf ball is needed to reflect infrared back to the sensors. This, in turn, prevents the golfer from receiving information as to the alignment of the club face with respect to the ball at the time of impact since, again, the impact of the club with the ball results in the termination of the indicator lights. This problem is especially present where swing speeds can be around 70-100 mph for clubs other than putters and where the duration of the swing may last for several seconds.
In addition, the infrared technology of the prior art training aid cannot be used in outdoor applications. This is the result of the infrared generated by the sun interfering with the device""s ability to operate.
The present invention overcomes the deficiencies noted above. The problem with losing the alignment information upon impact is solved by freezing the alignment information at the moment of impact for later use by the user. The second problem of not being able to use the device outside is solved by the use of a circuit which ignores the infrared generated by the sun and which selectively focuses on the infrared beams generated by the device.